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Please only speak for yourself. I believe that MOST fans DID buy the sub, even if there are fewer sold than last year. It's obvious that they sell more figures in subs than on sale-day. There are about ten people on this board who state they want all the vintage characters first for now 3 and a half years... but it's always the same voices stating the same things.

I don't need a fourth Ram-Man in 2012, I don't need a fifth Mekaneck... it's the new characters and inclusion of ALL characters that draw me to this line. Vintage only purists should collect...only vintage figures...

I did buy a sub because I like the figures shown at SDCC. What they could have done was also list figures that were in development fo the rest of the year (maybe it would have enticed more folks, maybe not--it's all moot now anyways.) Personally for me, they could include Wendy's frosty and fries coupons ---food always makes me feel better!

I guess the line of characters is not a issue for most of the sub buyers, mattel has been doing a pretty decent job with the mix of " factions" of MOTU (and this is all MOTUC is about) the idea here is to find ideas to make the sub work like a club where you have some benefits if you are in!!

I do not think that discounts and more sub exclusives will sway a lot of people who simply don't want to buy everything. The only way to make a sub for those people more attractive would be to switch to smaller more individually taylored subs. Or even better switching to a simple preorder service.

Discounts of any sort would obviously be one of the biggest perks, because the shipping fees are an absolute joke.

Unless I've been out of the loop, shipping via standard UPS Ground for one figure would rise from $8.80 to $13.55, an increase of $4.75. My sub figures for this year still ship for the standard $8.80 before taxes (for one figure), but when I thought about signing up for next year's sub I saw that price increase at the billing screen. I removed the sub from my shopping cart, and as a test of sorts I added one Buzz-Off. The $13.55 tag was still in effect, and to see what it would cost to ship 10 figures I added 9 more Buzz-Offs to my cart. To ship 9 more figures, the shipping fee rose only 2 dollars .

I think a big part of it would be in revealing more of the lineup. It is hard for me to commit to such a large purchase when I only know what is coming through the first part of the year. The Sorceress, kobra Khan and Fisto are neat, but the bulk of the rest of the year could be unappealing to me.

I understand that some things change in a lineup, but maybe at least knowing what figures are slotted through June (even if we don't get pictures for the all) would be very helpful.

Discounts for Sub holders. This should be a no-brainer. Right now the only reason to get the sub is to avoid dealing with their website. Which SHOULDN"T be a hassle to begin with.

And of course a 13 figure year option. There should be a no beast/varient/extra's option for the sub.

Honestly I could never believe we had to actually PAY for the exclusive. Every subscription I've ever joined always started with hyping what you get for FREE. Whether it's a coffee mug or a footbal phone... there should be SOMETHING that makes people want to run out and get it.

Anyone who wants to go to the site every month and get the figures SHOULD be considered a fool. There SHOULD be such a clear and obvious cost saver to get the subscription... As things stand now, theres' really no difference.

they tried giving us a discount for Battle Cat but it didn't work out too well. it was too difficult to enter in the discount code and beat the WSOD at the same time.

all they have to do is make Castle Grayskull a sub exclusive. if that doesn't increase sub sales, i don't know what will.

I can not agree to this, even though I have a sub, and will get a Castle Grayskull even if it's $300 or $500. But to think that some of these fans get 3-4 subs, that is 4 Grayskulls adding possibly $1200 in one month to some a house payment, to the already 4 subs totaling $2040 brings it to $3240 for the year, does not sound so bad when you break it down into monthly payments of $270, but you can be paying on a brand new car for those monthly payments.

I would not want to lock anybody into that, sub sales would surly drop. It's true, some things should not be included in the sub.

Simple Subscription model

Haven't really been on the boards that much but I've skimmed through a couple locked threads. People calling each other negative, Cherry Pickers, yada yada, etc.

I've seen TG quoted posts, with him doing damage control, but it always looks like he puts his foot in his mouth.

I know the whole "Lowest Subscription Ever" post by TG, kinda started the whole snowball fight.

I'm pretty sure I responded somewhere about just wanting a simple 1 figure a month sub. Something affordable that a home owner and parent of 1 swing 30 bucks a month for.

But we only seem to get a "ALL-IN" model that cost around $600 for the year.
I just don't see why Matty dosen't offer some tier sub model. where for sub "A" I get 1 new figure every month. Sub "B" 1 new figure + quarterly + Beasts.

Subscription model could probably be broken into 3 Tiers Each tier, saving a bit more money and receiving a bit more of an exclusive deal.

Isn't that how subscriptions are suppose to work? The more "all-in" and commitment you give, the more money you save?

Seems foolish that This line has grown so expensive and has become so big that its either your a subscriber and treated like the teachers pet. Or a Cherry Picker and treated like your some ebay scalper.

I wish there was a middle road so I could say "Hey guys, I dig your product, but here what I can only afford".

instead of savings, the sub guarantees you will get your figs from a limited production run. unlike, say a magazine, where you get savings, but anyone can purchase the same mag for cover price because they produce (probably) 100x more than they have subscriptions.

Because Mattel is more comfortable with a business model through which they are guaranteed $490 from a slightly smaller customer base then with one where they are only guaranteed $240 from the slightly larger base but have to fight for/advertise/hope to God customers show up each month for the remaining $250.

Could "sub"-subscriptions be a solution to some of the line's problems? Discuss...

I, as many on these boards, have been with the line since the very first He-Man and Beast Man releases at the end of 2008, and for the most part, have loved it.
However, in the last year or so, for some, the line has become tarnished a little for a variety of reasons...

Firstly, there is increasing discontent with some, over some of the releases (particularly those from POP and NA). Secondly - and I've been on about this for quite a few months now - the customs charges that have been whacking most overseas collectors in the wallet hard nearly every month for some time now, as more and more items are shipped each month.
When the subs initially came about, most of us understood that we'd get one main figure each month, with the odd vehicle / creature / extra every few months at most. But this year it seems like we've had extras just about every damn month, which has really whacked finances - again, particularly for international fans. Moreso, many of these extra items are things that a number of us don't particularly want for our collection in the first place.

Well, I've been trying to think of a possible solution to this, and surely the line could introduce sub-subscriptions. As in, the regular sub covers the "regular" monthly figure, presumably from a more traditional "main vintage line" slant (200x influences can be saved for numerous other thread debates!! ), and then there can be the option of off add-on subs, say, for NA or POP releases.

Of course, the one flaw in this idea is that the figures are released with no set pattern of which area of the franchise they'll come from. But in theory I'd totally go for this. I love that obscure and lesser known figures are being realised, and champion that fans of them can get their hands on them. But to be honest I'm growing more and more weary of forking out silly money each month on both sub and customs, to get figures that I don't even particularly want (this is typified by the thought that I'm shuddering at the idea of having to do this for the Star Sisters... but you can debate that here!).
For those that want these... "less in mass demand" figures, good on you, have a sub subscription for this. But I feel as if now, many of us are almost being force fed figures that we don't even particularly want.

It would severely need tweaking as an idea to work, but I think something like this needs to be considered now, as it's to the point that Matty are actually shooting themselves in the foot and starting to lose customers (I myself have cut back from my traditional two yearly subscriptions to one for 2012 for this very reason).

Tiered subscriptions will NEVER happen. It's been asked many times and Toyguru has said they can not do it.
Now as to what people find wrong with the subs, Everyone signing up for it has known full well going in that it is an ALL IN subscription ( You get every figure, Varient, & beast/Army Bulilder twoPack offered for that year)

Fans begged Mattel for the ALL IN subscription and Mattel gave it to us, I don't see the subs going back to just 12 figures a month. People need to budget for these ALL IN subs they sign up for especially those over seas since they know by now multiple items can ship in the same month.